After widespread parts of Greater Manchester and the UK woke up to a blanket of snow over the weekend, and sub-zero temperatures are continuing to chill the country for most of this week, GMP is now highlighting the dangers of cold and ice water following the deaths of three young children and one still fighting for their life in Solihull.
The three boys – aged eight, 10 and 11 – all passed away after being pulled from the freezing cold water in Babbs Mill Park near Solihull on Sunday (11 December 11), while a fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital.
Following reports that four children had been playing on the ice and had fallen through, emergency services were first called to the scene at 2:36pm on Sunday, before a major rescue operation was launched shortly after.
Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday.
The boys were rushed to hospital after being pulled from the water.
Our thoughts are with their family and friends at this devastating time.
The four children were pulled out of the lake in a state of cardiac arrest, with West Midlands Police confirming they “sadly could not be revived”.
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The force has stated that an operation is ongoing at the scene, and said its thoughts are with the family and friends of the children “at this deeply devastating time” – adding that specialist officers are offering them as much support as they can.
The devastating news that the four young children fell through the icy lake has understandably left people shocked nationwide, and now, GMP has quickly issued a warning relating to the bodies of water in our region and has urged parents and guardians to make sure their children are supervised at all times when near lakes or ponds, especially during the current cold snap.
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The force has also emphasised how important it is to ensure children are aware of the dangers of cold water, and what to do should they find themselves in difficulty.
In a statement shared to social media yesterday, GMP Rochdale said: “Following some really tragic news, GMP Rochdale would like to stress the importance of safety around cold water. Please ensure that children are supervised at all times when in the vicinity of cold water and advise children about the dangers of cold water and the impact it can have.”
— Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (@manchesterfire) December 12, 2022
“It might be tempting to walk or play on the frozen water but the ice can easily break. The temperature of the water is cold enough to take your breath away and lead to drowning. Never venture onto frozen water, even if it appears thick from the bank, it becomes thinner very quickly.
“Our message is simple – stay safe, stay off the ice.”
Royal Life Savers Society (RLSS UK) has some useful advice and tips on how to speak to your child about the dangers of frozen water, which you can read here, and find out more about what to do it you see someone struggling on the GMFRS website here.
Featured Image – West Midlands Police
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Manchester band Westside Cowboy release ‘thrilling’ debut album that critics are calling one of the year’s best
Emily Sergeant
One of the UK’s best rising bands have released their debut album today to glowing reviews from critics and fans alike.
Jimmy Bradbury, Reuben Haycocks, Aoife Anson O’Connell, and Paddy Murphy – better known together as Westside Cowboy – formed back in 2023 when they were students at the Royal Northern College of Music, so while they may not all be from Manchester, they definitely have the spirit of our city at the heart of everything they do.
After playing in different bands across the city throughout their student years, the four-piece joined forces to create Westside Cowboy – an indie rock collective credited with self-coining the genre of ‘Britainicana’.
Put simply, Britainicana is a cultural concept that mixes the hazy, mythic feel of American country and folk, with the sound of raw British punk, indie rock, and small-town life.
Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On / Credit: Clementine Schniedermann (Press Shots – Supplied)
If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you’ll be pleased to know that Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On, to the world today (21 August).
And the reception from critics, arguably, couldn’t be better.
Prior to the release of their debut album, the band had released two EPs, including So Much Country ‘Till We Get There in January earlier this year, and had started to make a name for themselves with their popular debut single ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’ in 2024.
They went onto make even further waves when they supported equally-rising American rock band Geese on their UK and Irish tour back in March – with many fans calling it one of the best support and main act combinations in some time.
Three singles from their debut album were shared with the world ahead of its release – ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ came first, followed by ‘Pin Up Boys’ and ‘Dobro’.
So, it’s fair to say the anticipation for album was high… and if the reviews are anything to go by (which we think they are), it looks like the band has very much delivered what they set out to achieve.
Westside Cowboy’s debut album It Goes On is now available to stream, or you can purchase a physical copy in a range of formats from their website here.
Take a listen👇
Featured Image – Press Shot (Supplied)
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UK set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn
Emily Sergeant
The UK is being told to brace for a series of storms this autumn when the ‘unprecedented’ El Niño weather event arrives.
It’s already been a summer of extremes for the country, with multiple heatwaves over the past couple of months, but now it appears that autumn and winter are set to have some extremes of their own, as the Met Office is warning that this upcoming El Niño could be one of the most significant in recent memory.
El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5°C above the long-term average, which therefore impacts global rainfall patterns and average temperatures.
The natural warming of sea temperatures is forecast to reach more than 3°C in the coming months, according to the Met Office, making this year’s weather event have the potential to be ‘the largest since the 19th century’.
The UK is set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn / Credit: Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)
El Niño will create a heightened risk of drought in the tropics, southern Africa, and north eastern Australia, but over in north western Europe – including the UK – it means we are likely to experience wetter and stormier conditions.
The UK, and of course Greater Manchester, is absolutely no stranger to a storm around this time of year, but forecasters say this could be an entirely different beast.
“We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event,” warned Professor Adam Scaife, who is the Head of Long Range Forecasting at the Met Office.
“I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts.”
Professor Scaife concluded: “A typical El Nino leads to an equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature rise of between one to 2°C, with 2°C being a really big event. This implies that, if the forecast is accurate, and other forecast systems show similar extreme values, then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Niño and its worldwide climate influences.’
Forecasters and officials, however, have warned that it could take months of sustained rainfall before rivers, reservoirs, and groundwaters are ‘completely replenished’ – which is when a drought can officially be declared as over.
It also warned drought conditions could persist into the new year as, despite El Niño, as current forecasts do not suggest this autumn will have the amount of rainfall needed to drive recovery.
Emily Sergeant -
13th December 2022 
